SPORTY MAYOR

In his column Sports Eye in the April 8, 2014 issue of The Freeman, Raffy T. Uytiepo wrote about me in an article entitled "Sporty Mayor."

"I took a week-long sojourn to Maasin City in Southern Leyte for a little rest but ended up climbing the mountain shrines.... Just before leaving, I dropped by at City Hall to visit the city’s mayor, Maloney Samaco, undoubtedly a sportsman in his own right.  Mayor Maloney may not look athletic but he’s been supporting Maasin City’s sports programs. He is also responsible for the city’s hosting of numerous sports activities and national events...

"Chess is also a favorite sport of Mayor Maloney who said since he was frail and sickly during his younger days, he took to chess which does’nt require too much physical efforts.  Oh by the way, Mayor Maloney has participated in several runs in Cebu City.  He even ran in the Cebu City  Marathon but only in the 5K side  together with our very own Mayor Mike Rama...With running and triathlon starting to become popular here, Mayor Maloney plans to do more events...Keep the good work Mayor!"

Yes because I was skinny and had hernia during my elementary days, I was not able to play basketball, the game that I love.  I played only mini-basketball using small basketballs or tennis balls which were a fad during that time using miniature goals.

I played chess which required only mental abilities.  In my elementary days I played with the best chess players of Maasin, even with the adult champions, until high school.  Papa's store and tailoring was a chess center where all chess experts of the town assembled.

I placed third in the whole of Maasin in the elementary level chess tournament.  I won the high school level chess game during the SJC Loyalty Day.  I stopped playing chess when I was in college.

Only when the Batang Pinoy Visayas Qualifying Leg was held in Maasin City on September 26, 2013 did I play chess again.  It was a simultaneous chess game against Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales as I joined the inmates and some jail guards at the City Jail in challenging the national chess trainer.  

I was the only one to draw the GM while others lost.  It was a great honor for a stagnating chess player to play with a grandmaster to a draw.

I started to play lawn tennis in my first year high school.  But my hernia came back causing stomach aches during and after each game.  So I stopped playing lawn tennis for good.

My deficiency in physique was countered by my viewing of sports competitions on television.  After he closed his tailoring business, Papa operated the No.1 sports home video in Maasin and it showed mostly boxing matches and basketball games.

I was fascinated by the Olympics, Asian Games, NBA, PBA and championship boxing. When Radio Station DYDM opened, I had a regular broadcast entitled Sports Roundup.  I also reported with sports update daily in the morning news of the radio.

I also became a sportswriter as I wrote a column Sports Roundup in the Southern Leyte Times then at the Maasin Mail then back to the Southern Leyte Times. I became a sports blogger at the globally popular Philboxing.com.

When I was Vice Mayor, I began playing competitive basketball, this time for the forty-uppers.  It all began with an exhibition game between elected officials and heads of office.  Then we played against the barangay captains during city employees week.  We also played in the employees week of the province against the 40-uppers basketball teams of the Province, Nationals, DILG and Soleco.

Our elected officials and heads of office team played with the executive team of Gov. Oscar Moreno from Misamis Oriental.  I was vice mayor that time and Damian Mercado was the City Mayor.  It was a part of the City Charter Day celebration.

When I became City Mayor I organized the Mayor's Squad basketball team for 39-below hoopsters and 40-upper basketeers.  We played in barangay fiestas, anniversaries and LGU month celebrations.  We 40-uppers would face either the barangay officials or barangay tanods team.  And the 39-below team would engage with the senior selection of the barangay.

Our elected and heads of office team played against our provincial counterparts.  I also joined the game of the MCC Faculty Team versus MCC Staff.  I also played in our MCC Faculty and Staff Team against DepEd City Division.

Then came a time when I was engaged in running with Chona.  My sister Mabel convinced us to join the trend of running.  We started jogging at the port area every morning.  We ran around the poblacion too.  We went also to the Mama Mary Shrine at Jalleca Hills and Montecueva.

Our first run at Cebu was the Citigym Half-Marathon "A Halloween Run" where we ran three kilometers starting and ending at the Waterfront Hotel, Cebu City on October 3, 2010.  We ran our first 5k on November 7, 2010 at the "Run for IT"  starting and finishing at the IT Park, Cebu City.

On November 28, 2010 we went to Manila to join the "Bonifacio Global City (BGC) Run" where we run 5K at Taguig City.

Then runs at Cebu City followed.  On December 5 , 2010 the "Red Cross Run"  5K  at Ayala Center.   On December 11, 2010 the "Run to Build - The Sci Hi Fun Run" 5K at SM City.  Then the "Run for Sta. Teresa de Avila 2" good for 6K followed at Talisay City on December 30, 2010 where the whole family joined.

On January 9, 2011 we joined the prestigious "Cebu Marathon" starting and ending at the IT Park, Cebu City where we ran for 5K.

On January 23, 2011 we had our first trail run at  the "Argao Mud Run" where we  participated the 7K category at the mountains of Argao, Cebu.

The first fun run we participated starting and ending at SM City Cebu was on Feb 13, 2011 "SM 2 SM Run" for 6K.  Then another one at APM Mall Cebu City on April 24, 2011 the "Run for a Child's Future" for 5K.

We also organized and participated the fun runs in Maasin City in 2011:  On February 11 the "Run for the Heart" for 6K, on March 25 the "Run for the Philippine First Mass" for 6K, on May 23 the "Takbo Kontra Tabako" for 6K, on June 12 the "Freedom Run" for 3K, on August 7 the "1st Maasin City Half Marathon" for 10K, and on September 6 the "Takbo Laban sa Krimen" for 3K.

There were fun runs in Maasin organized by other institutions which we also joined:   On February 19 the "1st Seminary Fund Run" for 6K by the Pope Paul VI Seminary, on October 29 the "Metro Hi-Per Fun Run" for 3K and on December 4 the "Red Cross Million Volunteer Run" for 3K.

Chona and I joined two days of successive runs in Luzon.  On February 26, 2011 we ran the "Run with the Heroes" for 5K at the Basa Air Base, Floridablanca, Pampanga and the next day February 27  at the "EDSA Run" for 5K  finishing at People Power Monument, Quezon City.

Ayala Center of Cebu City was the start and finish of some of the runs that we had took part: On March 13, 2011 the "Family Back Pack Fun Run" 6K; on April 10, 2011 the "C24/7 Fun Run" 5K; and on July 31, 2011, the "POGS Run" 8K.

We went to other towns and cities to enter their runs:  On April 16, 2011 the "BSF Earth Run" 10K at Bato School of Fisheries, Bato, Leyte; April 21, 2011 the "Bantayan Beachathon" 5K at Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island, Cebu;  on May 1, 2011 the "Mayor's Cup Run for Change" 6K at Parkmall, Mandaue City; on May 21, 2011 the "1st Matalom Fun Run" 6K at Matalom, Leyte; on May 29, 2011 the "Greenfield City Clean Air Run" 5K at Sta. Rosa City, Laguna; Aug 14  iRun for Ormoc  5K at Ormoc City; on August 28, 2011 the "Run for 100% Smoke-Free Environment"  5K Talisay City; on September 11, 2011 the "ERUF Run 161 11.11.11" 6K  Parkmall, Mandaue City.

We joined one fun run outside the country.  On June 23, 2011 we ran the "Olfener City Jubilaumslauf" 5K in Olfen City, Germany.